This past August, Stanbridge Academy began a semester-long pilot program with an education startup. EMOTE is an intervention support tool that allows teachers to collaborate around student emotion.

“In discussing the EMOTE platform with [EMOTE Founder Julian Golder], I realized it was based on the zones of regulation, which we already use,” said Director of Student and Staff Development Christina McMorrow. “It was clear that this would be a natural fit for increased communication between teachers.”

Julian started developing EMOTE in early June after observing the need for emotional support and early intervention while working in education over the past decade.

“Students are always moving, so each instructor only gets to see a slice of their experience,” said Julian. “EMOTE gives each teacher—and the school—a new and complete perspective of each student.”

Teachers have been asked to input each student’s emotional state (green, blue, yellow, or red) in the app throughout the day. This data is then shared with the student’s other teachers and counselors allowing them to individualize their teaching and emotional support.

“EMOTE is a safe and secure way for staff to identify the emotional space and needs of out students,” said Head of High School Jay Huston. “Teachers use it to identify the times we should ‘take it easy’ on a student or strategize with the student techniques they can use to be successful in our class even though they are in a ‘non-green’ emotional state.”

While the platform is ideal for high school and junior high environments where students change instructors multiple times a day, it also benefits elementary school teachers.“When you’re teaching, you often think of the classroom as a global entity,” said Upper Elementary School Teacher Jerrod Nelson. “EMOTE is a great tool for me to check in on each student individually.”Julian meets with a group of Stanbridge teachers and Chris on an almost weekly basis to see what changes can be made to improve the app.“It’s a unique opportunity for us to be able to weigh in on new features that will help increase utility,” said Chris. “We basically get to customize it to fit our unique needs.”One of the reasons Stanbridge has been so successful as a pilot school, says Julian, is the teachers’ willingness to embrace new technology.“Stanbridge is a great school because it’s willing to adopt innovation,” said Julian. “It’s amazing to see that there’s not an insecurity or fear around trying new things.”Julian has big plans for EMOTE in the future. The app was recently accepted by Launch, an incubator for education startups, and he hopes to roll out student and parent versions of the platform soon.“This is the future of behavior support,” said Jay. “We’re lucky to be in on the ground floor!”

This past summer, Stanbridge Academy High School English Teacher Allison St. John completed her Masters of Education (M.Ed) in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Exeter. “I wanted to attain another master’s degree without it interfering with my teaching,” said Allison. “The summer intensive program at Exeter was a great fit.” According to the Exeter website, students meet for a four-week intensive session in July of the first and second years. During the third year, students write a thesis based on a research study. The program is specifically designed for working professionals and attracts students from around the world. “In a class of about 15, all of the students were international and I was the only American, “ said Allison, who said a perk was getting to travel around the United Kingdom with her international peers. Allison said she was especially encouraged by the amount of skill crossover between Special Education (SPED) and TESOL. “The biggest thing with SPED and TESOL is the use of visuals and tactile learning,” said Allison. “Both populations struggle with language, having multiple modalities for curricular input really helps them.” Allison, who started the Exeter program in 2012, said she was able to afford tuition thanks to professional development funds from Stanbridge."Continuing education is so important for teachers, because it helps them stay abreast of the latest techniques," said Director of Staff and Student Development Christina McMorrow. "The Stanbridge Staff Development Fund is just one way we recognize that fact and try to support our teachers as they continue to grow as educators." When officially conferred in November, the M.Ed in TESOL will be Allison’s fourth masters degree. She currently holds an MS in Education from California State University, East Bay, an MA in Teaching (MAT) from the University of Southern California, and an MA in English Literature from San Francisco State University."We applaud Allison for the completion of another degree of study that will continue to enhance her very fine work with our students,” said Head of School John O’Brien. “Her commitment to ongoing growth and professional development is commendable."And Allison has no plans to slow down. This year she plans to complete her Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) and clear her Education Specialist credential through the San Mateo County Office of Education.

This morning, Stanbridge Academy teachers returned to E. Poplar Ave. for the first of three professional development days. “It feels great to be back with so many wonderful colleagues,” said Junior High Teacher Malia Lytle. “They’re like family.”

The instructional focus of this year’s in-service training is “Developing a Professional Learning Community.”

“We are using the teachings of Dr. Carol Dweck regarding the development of a growth mindset to challenge ourselves as a faculty to seek opportunities, both collaboratively and individually, to strive for growth and excellence, “ said Director of Student and Staff Development Chris McMorrow.

According to Dweck, a professor of Psychology at Stanford University and leading researcher in the field of motivation, “people with a growth mindset…see their qualities as things that can be developed through their dedication and effort.”

By identifying how the growth mindset will play into lesson planning, feedback systems, and our collaboration with students, parents and outside professionals, Chris says “we will set the tone for the entire school year.” Even before staff returned to the San Mateo campus, professional development was already underway via two pre-readings:Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great By Jim Collins -and-Adult Relationships Within the Schoolhouse By Roland S. Barth “I chose these two treatises, because they support our theme perfectly,” said John. “In the Good to Great piece, Jim Collins writes about ‘getting the right people on the bus’ and having a shared vision of how to take an organization to the next logical level of its development. The Roland Barth piece speaks to the importance of having a highly collegiate and collaborative environment and culture to both serve our students and help us maximize our potential for our own growth and development.”“I was excited to see attention focused on these issues,” said Mary Stadler. “These readings are something we can talk about—and continue to refer to—all year.”

Additionally, time will be spent further strengthening skills related to the use of supportive technologies, social thinking techniques and mindfulness practices in the classroom.

“Ongoing professional development is crucial to helping our students have the best possible experience at Stanbridge,” said John. “Teachers have a pedagogical obligation to remain current with best practices, assistive technologies, and the latest instructional methods. Having a growth mindset (as opposed to a fixed one) is vital to our success.” Classes begin Monday, August 24th.

Lauri Kober, a lover of reptiles, holds an albino python. Stanbridge Academy hired Lauri in July 2015. She is the first CFO in school history.

Last month, Stanbridge Academy welcomed its first Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in the school’s history. Lauri Kober, a Bay Area native and mother of two, first learned about Stanbridge about a year ago through Harvard Business School (HBS) Community Partners, a pro bono program that recruits HBS alumni to deliver business consulting services on a volunteer basis. “I worked very hard for many years to ‘get a pay check.’ I finally realized that wasn’t the most important thing to me anymore” said Lauri. “I wanted to do something that made a difference and was more meaningful.” Shortly after Lauri and her fellow team members—Mairin Macaluso, Steve Pollock, and Elaine Lam—presented their findings in March, then-Board President Jean-Louis Casabone asked Lauri and Steve to join the board. “The students at Stanbridge are wonderful. It’s an amazingly welcoming community,” said Lauri, who agreed to join the board and was elected secretary for the 2015-2016 academic year. “Then the position opened up in the business department, and it was perfect!” Head of School John O’Brien decided to divide the former Business Manager position and create two new positions: CFO and Accounting Manager. “We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to combine the skill sets that Lauri and the new Accounting Manager bring as the school prepares to move to the next level in its evolution,” said John. Our Accounting Manager will take on more of the day-to-day accounting and Human Resources responsibilities, and Lauri will be working with John on more procedural, process and strategic work. “John and I will be working together to implement the action plan resulting from the Board’s work on Stanbridge’s next strategic plan for the school,” said Lauri. “The Board is also considering pursuing CAIS accreditation as well as evaluating the feasibility of building an endowment – these projects will require a great deal of research and prep work.” In addition to updating the school’s onboarding process, Lauri says she will work to ensure there is accurate and adequate financial reporting and tracking for the management, board and staff. “Even though I need to officially resign from the Board, I’ll still go to board meetings and present, but I won’t be a voting member,” she says. With more bandwidth in the business office, Lauri says she also hopes to look into the more minute policies and procedures at Stanbridge. “For example: how do we improve earthquake procedures? We have a population of students that are very special. We need to review those policies to make sure we have the best ones in place, especially for our student population.” What else is Lauri up to? “That’s probably it for now,” she says, “…but it will evolve. But I can say that I am incredible happy here!”

Stanbridge Academy is a caring, inclusive K-12 school for students with mild to moderate learning differences and social communication disorders. We use an individualized, whole student approach so that students thrive and develop their academic, social, and emotional capabilities to their fullest potential.